Grammy-Nominated Saxophonist Melissa Aldana to be Featured in Hammer Theatre's Black Cab Jazz Series

This winter, the sounds of Grammy-nominated saxophonist and composer Melissa Aldana will fill Hammer Theatre Center's intimate Hammer4 Studio during its Black Cab Jazz series. Aldana has garnered international recognition for her visionary work. Her album Visions, noted one of best albums of 2019 by NPR Music, earned the saxophonist her first Grammy nomination for "Best Improvised Jazz Solo." Melissa Aldana will perform live at 7:00pm, Friday, February 3, 2023 at the Hammer4 Studio, 101 Paseo De San Antonio, San Jose. For tickets ($25-$35) or more information, the public may visit hammertheatre.com or call (408) 924-8501.

Born in Santiago, Chile, the daughter and granddaughter of saxophonists, Aldana took up the instrument at age six under her father's tutelage. She moved to the United States to attend the Berklee College of Music and the year after she graduated, Aldana released her first album, Free Fall, on Greg Osby's Inner Circle label in 2010, followed by Second Cycle in 2012. In 2013, at the age of 24, Aldana became the first female instrumentalist and the first South American musician to win the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition, in which her father had been a semi-finalist in 1991. She is a founding member of ARTEMIS, the all- star collective that released its self-titled debut on Blue Note in 2020. She is also an in-demand clinician and educator and has recently been appointed to the faculty of the New England Conservatory's Jazz Studies Department.

Owned by the City of San Jose and operated by San Jose State University, the Hammer Theatre Center is a state-of-the-art performance venue located in the heart of downtown San Jose at 101 Paseo De San Antonio, between 2nd and 3rdStreets. The theatre has presented an array of offerings including outstanding professional productions, community-based works, SJSU shows, and concerts, as well as dance, music, talks, film screenings-even live aerial performances with dancers suspended outside, scaling the sides of the iconic blue building. From jazz performances to mariachi extravaganzas to National Theatre Live film screenings, Cinequest film festival presentations, ballet and modern dance shows, kid-friendly performances, live art, and more, the Hammer's mission is to serve the community through artistic and educational programming that express the unique characteristics and diverse cultures of Silicon Valley.

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